Thursday, November 20, 2008

Swinging Around Some Ideas

If I am like Tigger, Swing is my Eeyore. Lately, I'm always trying to cheer him up because going through a tough time trying to get his dissertation done. I'm always learning something new and interesting about him...things that make me glad to still have him as a friend and see that he wouldn't be good for dating anybody right now. Usually our phone calls start like this:Savvy: Hey, it's me. How's it going?Swing: Oh....I don't know.One time I said it with him. The oh part is really long.One time I called him when I got new Invisalign aligners because they made me lisp really badly. I sang part of the Tigger song.Savvy: So, do you find me remotely amusing?Swing: Sometimes.

Over dinner on Friday, I cracked a couple of jokes with him.Savvy: Oh, I got half a smile.Swing: That's because it was halfway funny.Savvy: Maybe sometime I'll actually make you laugh all the way.Swing: You're starting to make me feel self-conscious.Savvy: I just want you to feel happy at least when you are with me and so I fell into gauging "audience response."Swing: I appreciate your effort, I really do.

He showed me his new iPhone and a map came up.Savvy: What's this?Swing: Oh, just a place I went to.Savvy: Is it nerdy?Swing: You couldsay so...I went to a comic book store.Savvy: Nothing wrong with that. You don't have to hide that from me.Swing: I also came out her to see lucha libre.We talked about the struggle to find parking in Hollywood.Swing: I had to park in a garage.Savvy: I found street parking. Are you jealous?Swing: Yes.Savvy: I never pay for parking.

It turned out had parked directly under a sign tat said PERMIT PARKING ONLY. I started laughing.Savvy: That's what I get for bragging.Swing: Oh no!Savvy: I forgot to check the sign. I just saw a space.Swing: If it's easy, there must be something wrong--especially in Hollywood.

He stroked my hair and gave me a hug. Since then, we've been commiserating about tickets, court appearances and not having any money. He got smacked with charges for failing to take car of a fix-it ticket and it put him in a bad mood.Savvy: So are you in the slammer? Is this your only phone call?Swing: No...But I had to pay about $400.Savvy: Of money you don't have.Swing: It would really be better to live in an area where you don't have to drive anywhere.Savvy: Yeah, I was gonna say, when I go down to hang out with you we have to make double sure I don't get another ticket. I got another one after Friday.Swing: You got another one?Savvy: Yeah, I went to the bank and I didn't see the lines and they docked me for parking 1/3 of my car into the next spot. But I swear that it wasn't that much. Maybe they'll let it go.Swing: You can try, but it didn't work that way for me. It amazes me how people try to argue with the judge.Savvy: Not a good idea. I have the best idea in the world.Swing: What's that?Savvy: We could move back to Amsterdam, find some place to squat--a garret apartment like in La Boheme--and make money by selling $1 beers and having an impromptu jazz performance every night. Oh and we could do classical stuff like a salon kind of thing like in the Romantic era. I had a friend who did that in New York.Swing: Yeah, I like the idea of reliving the glory days in Holland.Savvy: It sounds so fun. Plus, you did it before, so you can be like the manager, except tat nowadays I guess we realize that the bohemian life kinda sucks.

Swing is a really interesting guy who has had lots of interesting adventures. I wish I could do something to help him feel less depressed, but depression is something on the inside. Still, I think I'll keep him around. He's always been respectful toward me.

Lerner, if anyting it made him a bit worse. He was quite lie that before. The only difference is that I feel invesed now because I told him he would regret it if he didn't finish and that he would feel good about finishing. Not that my opinion had that much power, but I feel partly responsible for convincing him to go back to finish.